The Virtuous Effects of Strategic Analysis

How to decipher the balance of power through the prism of the sociology of organizations.

Summary

This paper explores the application of strategic analysis within the sociology of organizations to decode the dynamics of power and cooperation in institutional settings. Drawing on the foundational theories of Michel Crozier and Erhard Friedberg, it emphasizes the role of actors within organizations who, through interactions and power plays, shape organizational change and resistance. Formal structures like organizational charts are insufficient to capture the complexity of these relationships; instead, tools like sociograms can reveal informal networks, zones of uncertainty, and sources of power. Four main sources of power—expertise, environmental control, information flow, and hierarchical status—are discussed as crucial for understanding organizational behavior. The paper further illustrates these concepts through an empirical study in a hospital, where the implementation of managerial reform was driven by power dynamics and strategic alliances rather than purely rational planning. The study highlights how cooperation, negotiation, and shared interests among key actors facilitated change in some departments, while others were marginalized or excluded based on their limited resources or lack of long-term projection. The reform process is shown to reflect not only administrative rationality but also the underlying structure of power relations. Ultimately, the paper argues that understanding organizational transformation requires examining the strategic behaviors and interactions of actors rather than relying solely on formal institutional frameworks. Strategic analysis thus emerges as a powerful lens for interpreting and guiding change within complex organizations.